The construction world is full of interesting stories and unexpected events. Today, we're going to delve into some of the most interesting stories that came out last week in the world of construction. The stories range from suicide prevention to interesting facts about the Pentagon to some very giving construction workers. Enjoy!

In 2016, 39 people jumped off the Golden Gate bridge and died. That same year, bridge patrols prevented 184 additional suicide attempts. Over the bridge's 80 year life, 1,500 people have taken their lives from that bridge. It has taken years, but funding has finally been completed and a net will be added to the bridge at the cost of $200 million to prevent future suicides.

Power Construction and Mortenson are aiming to do their civic duty by promoting minority and women-owned businesses (MWBEs). MWBEs obtain a significantly lower amount of government business than other construction companies. To turn this around Power and Mortenson have been partnering with MWBEs to help them grow. Mortenson teamed with Thor Construction for the Ann & Robert H Lurie Children's Hospital (we did that project too). They set aside $100 million for MWBEs. It was a private project with no mandates. They just felt it was the right thing to do.

Power Construction has partnered with minority construction company, Ujamaa Construction, among others, to help them gain footing in the industry.

Each company that is helped by partnering with a bigger construction company pays it forward to another MWBE. This is how they intend to get past the bias, access, and capital issues that hold them back.

The quick to action construction worker was using a water truck at a construction site when he saw a brush fire had sparked. He got to work fighting the fire before first responders even arrived. Eagle Mountain Fire Department Captain Steve Conger said that by the time his crew arrived, the construction worker had already dampened the fire quite a bit.

"He really saved the day and I think I can speak for all of the neighbors around here who were out there at the time the scene happened in saying thank you," said nearby resident Shannon Conger.

No homes were damaged in the fire, and the worker left before anyone could get his name.

A man who lives near a construction project is suing to slow its progress. Tyler Gaston lives adjacent to the site that had a bridge collapse. His suit claims that the site's construction crews are working 24 hours a day to meet their deadline, and it is interupting his sleep. The plaintiff is asking that the judge limit construction to noise ordinance hours, so construction would end at 10pm and start no earlier than 7am.

The Pentagon was constructed during wartime, and steel was a hot commodity. The contractor, John McShain, scrimped on building material because steel was hard to come by, so he made the building squat and made of concrete, which was a cheap and easy to find building material. Steel was being used for guns, ships, and other wartime needs, so a skyscraper was not in the cards.

Elevators were the most steel-needy construction element, so only eleven were added to the 5-story building. Ramps were put in for employees who couldn't use the stairs. It wasn't until 2011 that more elevators were added. Seventy elevators were added at that time.